If Only
by Sympathetic Noose
Summary: The worry at night is always the worst when you're married to Dean Winchester.


Dani McPherson couldn't sleep. She never could the nights he wasn't home. For days at a time he would be gone on the road and she would be left at home to wait. It was the bed she told herself. That's why she couldn't sleep. Not the gut wrenching worry that lasted until he called or came home. She had convinced herself that all she needed was a new bed and she would be able to sleep but she had to wait till he was home. She couldn't buy one without his opinion.

She had her laptop open with 3 tabs in the window. 1 was always for music because the silence was more then she could take. If ever the bunker was silent for too long Dani would know she was truly alone. Plus the ringing in her left ear from the last time she went with him drove her nuts. A busted ear drum meant no hunting for another couple of weeks. The next tab was Facebook just incase someone posted something. Her brother's wife had just had a baby boy and he was known to add photos in the middle of the night. Seeing baby Jack always made her smile but it also made her sad because Dani knows she will never have that. Not with their job. The last tab was always reserved for research. This night it was Deities because she had dreamed that was the answer. The answer to finally finding a cure to the Mark on Dean's forearm.

Nothing else they had tried had worked and more then anything Dani wanted him back. She wanted him back to the way he was before he got the Mark. Some nights when she was alone and more then a little drunk she would convince herself she could build a time machine. She would go back and warn him not to take it. She would find another way and he would never have to be like he was now. If only.

Dani was so focused on the piece she was reading about the Mayan God Pichana-Gobeche she almost didn't notice her cell light up from the sofa cushion to her right. Without even turning from the screen Dani grabbed and unlocked her phone opening the text she had received. When she looked down at the screen of her phone she realized it was from Sam.

**Don't know if you're sleeping but we're on our way back. Dean's pissed it was another witch.**

Dani let out a sigh. That was the 3rd one this month. If there was one thing that could piss Dean off the most it was a witch. They had no idea what was causing the influx of witches but at least it was keeping them busy. It allowed Dean to forget for awhile that so far getting rid of the Mark was something that would never happen. Dani hit reply on her phone.

**I'm awake doing research. How far away are you?**

Almost immediately Dani received a reply.

**About a couple hours away be there around sun up.**

Dani smiled and played with simple silver band on her left ring finger. She needed them to be home even if they had only been gone a few days.

**Should I make breakfast?** Dani texted already knowing the answer.

**Yes please. Thanks Dani. See you soon.**

Dani smiled again. Her boys would be home and she wouldn't have to be alone in this bunker anymore. It was nice to finally have somewhere to call home since leaving hers so long ago. Dani had been hunting for awhile. Since she was a kid along side her parents and younger brother. At least they had hunted until her dad was killed by a vampire when she was 16. After that her mom just couldn't do it anymore. She bought a trailer in Wisconsin and raised Dani and her brother Ben. The day Dani turned 18 she told her mom she was going to start hunting again. Too many people out there that needed saving. Turns out one of them was Dean Winchester. She saved his ass from a werewolf one summer night when she was 22. They had been hunting the same pack and ended up working the case together. Sam was at Stanford then and Dean was on his own. John had been off doing his own thing. Later they realized his own thing was visiting Adam.

Dani and Dean worked well together. Almost from the moment they meet they realized they needed one another if they were both going to stay alive and kill the things that go bump in the night. They also realized that there was an attraction there that neither one of them had ever experienced before. Although they had been together over a decade Dani and Dean never said they loved each other out loud except when one of them was dying or just come back from the dead.

With another sigh Dani put her phone back down on the cushion it had been on before Sam texted her. She was too excited to continue her research and saved the page she had been reading and started shutting down her laptop. Knowing she had some time Dani figured a quick shower would be okay.

20 minutes later Dani had redressed in a white tank top with pink and grey stripped pajama pants her light brown shoulder length hair wetting the back of her top as she made her way to the kitchen. She knew making breakfast was going to be a process that would take time. Although making breakfast for Dean and herself would be easy. They would be content with just some eggs and bacon with toast. Sam on the other hand would want something healthy that would take more time. An egg white omelet with tomatoes and spinach was one she was learning to master but separating the egg whites was a pain in her ass. Dani grabbed some bacon from the freezer to defrost in the sink then went to the small radio they had tucked in a corner on one of the kitchen counters. Music filled the kitchen as Dani grabbed everything else she would need to make their meal. It wasn't long before Dani was singing along to Def Leppard her hip swaying to the beat. The music was loud enough that she never heard the boys enter. She was in the middle of flipping strips of bacon in the skillet in front of her as she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist. Dani jumped with surprise a gasp escaping her. She put the fork she had been using down on the counter and turned smacking Dean on his right arm.

"You're lucky I didn't just burn the crap out of myself with bacon grease."

"Sorry but I couldn't watch your ass moving like that and not touch you." Dean said his green eyes glinting with mischief.

Dani knew Dean wasn't really sorry. This hadn't been the first time he had surprised her during a potentially dangerous situation. At least this time no one got hurt.

"Sam said y'all would be hungry and I'm almost done. Why don't you go take a shower while I finish because baby, you stink."

Dean laughed and nodded. He leaned forward planting a quick kiss on Dani's lips. He released his hold on her and walked off in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

Dani went back to her cooking. A sense of relief filled her. Her boys were home again. Although she wouldn't admit it Dani would have a peaceful sleep that night held in Dean's strong embrace. If only it could be like that every night.


End file.
